This invention relates to connecting means for connecting two or more wires to each other. The herein disclosed embodiment of the invention is particularly intended for connecting a relatively fine wire, such as an AWG 26 wire, which may extend from a coil to a relatively coarse wire, for example, an AWG 18 wire, which extends to other circuitry.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,615 discloses and claims a connecting means for connecting the relatively fine wires of a motor stator to the conductors which extend from the motor. The invention disclosed in that prior art patent comprises a connecting device which establishes an electrical connection with the stator windings by means of wire-receiving slots provided in the connecting device so that when the wire is moved laterally of its axis and into the slots, the varnish type insulation of the wire is penetrated and electrical contact is established. The term "displation" has been coined to define these wire-in-slot type electrical connections.
While the connecting device shown in the above-identified U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,615 provides a displation type connection between the coil wire and the terminal, it discloses other connecting means for connecting the terminal to the lead wire extending from the coil. The connecting means for the coarse lead wire may comprise a terminal crimped onto the lead wire which terminal is mated with a tab. It would be convenient to use or provide displation type connections between the terminal and both the lead wire and the extremely fine wire, however, there is quite often a wide disparity between the size of the lead wire and the size of the wire extending from the coil winding. The coil wire may be relatively fine, for example, AWG 26 and the lead wire may be relatively coarse, for example, AWG 18. Terminals or connecting devices for forming displation connections with fine wires must have relatively narrow slots and they must therefore be manufactured from relatively thin stock metal in order to permit the stamping of the required relatively narrow slots for the fine wire. The extremely thin stock metal used in the manufacture of such terminals is not suitable for forming displation type connections with coarse wires because of the fact that the metal is not sufficiently strong. Furthermore, thin metal stock may not provide sufficient area at the electrical interface for a good electrical connection. Hence, the above-identified U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,615 suggests that the lead wire be made by some means other than displation.
The instant invention is directed to the achievement of a double-ended connecting device which is capable of receiving an extremely fine wire at one end thereof and a coarse wire at the other end thereof to connect the wires to each other. The connecting device is manufactured with a double thickness of metal at the end thereof which receives the coarse wire and a single thickness at the end which receives the fine wire. The connecting device can thus be manufactured from a relatively thin stock metal so that a narrow slot can be provided at the fine wire-receiving end and the coarse wire-receiving end will have adequate strength and contact area to establish an affective electrical connection to the coarse wire. The connecting device is received in the cavity of an insulating housing with the fine wire-receiving end and the fine wire connection at the inner end of the cavity. This arrangement is extremely convenient in the stator manufacturing process in that the fine wire connections can be made at the time the coil is wound and they will be protected during subsequent handling of the stator. The construction of the connecting device and the insulation housing is such that the formation of the coarse wire connection does not disturb the electrical connection to the fine wire at the inner end of the housing.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved connecting device for making displation type electrical connections to wires. A further object is to provide a double-ended connecting device for connecting a relatively fine wire to a relatively coarse wire. A further object is to provide an improved means for connecting lead wires to the tap wires of a coil or the like.